Month: April 2017

LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) – A budget amendment offered by Representative Dustin Burrows would prohibit state-funded travel to California so long as California’s law restricting travel to states with religious liberty and pastor protection laws remains in effect. The amendment is expected to be voted on Thursday night.”California has passed a law prohibiting its state funds from being used for travel to States that have passed religious liberty laws. Currently, four states are on the list (Kansas, Mississippi, North Carolina and Tennessee) and Texas may be added for legislation such as the Pastor Protection Act. My Budget Amendment would simply prohibit our state funds from being used for travel to California so long as their law is on the books,” said Burrows in a release from his office.

Burrows’ amendment to House Bill 1, which was passed by the Texas House of Representatives last night, reads in part, “the funds appropriated by this Act to a state agency for the payment of transportation, meals, lodging, or incidental expenses may not be expended for state-funded or state-sponsored travel to California while California Government Code, Sec. 11139.8, or a similar discriminatory law, is in effect.”

Such a law, if it remains in the House budget, could affect all state-funded travel to California except travel for the purposes of enforcement of state law, litigation, compliance with a contractual obligation incurred before September 1, 2017 or compliance with a federal government request to appear before a committee.

According to Burrows spokesperson Matt Crow, the exception for contractual obligations made prior to September 1, 2017 would allow commitments already made, such as state college and university athletic competition and other commitments made prior to September 1, 2017, to continue as scheduled.